You, Me & Charlie » Ashley Arabianhttp://youmeandcharlie.com
YouMeAndCharlie.comTue, 28 Jul 2015 02:35:50 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.6Rene Garcia Jr.: Trial and Errorhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/see/rene-garcia-jr-trial-and-error/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/rene-garcia-jr-trial-and-error/#commentsSat, 08 Feb 2014 01:18:11 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=7807A friend of mine works for a very cool gallery here in San Francisco, and in the middle of her research of their new featured artist, Rene Garcia Jr., she found my previous interview with him for YM&C. She asked me to come to the opening and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do […]

A friend of mine works for a very cool gallery here in San Francisco, and in the middle of her research of their new featured artist, Rene Garcia Jr., she found my previous interview with him for YM&C. She asked me to come to the opening and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do something again for this site I’ve been absent from for so long.

Rene’s new works are true to his style as an artist in that they invoke nostalgic sensations that aren’t necessarily sentimental, but playful and eccentric, and this time, interactive.

Elmer’s Glue and glitter remain his main mediums for the most eye-catching pieces, but other works required 3D glasses and body movement to see the holographic images in the lit-up prints. Garcia stated this was the first time he had to outsource for materials that he’s never used before, thus making it the hardest collection he’s ever done. “I had no idea how to make this stuff.”

The gallery itself was a great spot for Garcia’s work, as owner Luke Lombardo describes his trials with the gallery as a big guessing game. “I probably know more about opening a bar than I do an art gallery.” Garcia’s trials with new materials are similar, as these new works were by method of trial and error.

The peel and stick piece is a perfect example.

Garcia described it as the best representation of how he makes art – trying out new images and seeing if they stick or not.

Lombardo’s gallery and Garcia’s work is a great match, one that I enjoyed and related to myself, since most of my life seems to go by the peel-and-stick-trial-and-error method.

Continue to enjoy the nature of Rene Garcia Jr.’s childlike energy through his fun works on his website here: www.renegarciajr.com

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/rene-garcia-jr-trial-and-error/feed/0Coo Coo Birdshttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/coo-coo-birds/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/coo-coo-birds/#commentsMon, 15 Apr 2013 07:02:12 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=5170Not too long ago I was informed that Coo Coo Birds, a rock band in San Francisco and some awesome friends of mine, were heading to the South by Southwest Music and Arts Festival…in style. What do I mean ‘in style’? I mean they drove there in their psychedelic school bus/traveling venue. Of course, I […]

Not too long ago I was informed that Coo Coo Birds, a rock band in San Francisco and some awesome friends of mine, were heading to the South by Southwest Music and Arts Festival…in style.

What do I mean ‘in style’? I mean they drove there in their psychedelic school bus/traveling venue. Of course, I wanted to go along. I put all my ducks in a row to tag along with these guys come March so I could write some awesome material for YM&C on the road. Unfortunately, a job opportunity came my way and I couldn’t join the boys on their journey to the center of the musical world (of America).

Lucky for us all, Nicole Salmeri, my dear friend and talented photographer went with them, as she always does. (You might remember Nicole when we teamed up for our American Steel post.) Nicole directed a four-person camera crew sponsored by GoPro to film and photographed the band on their tour to SXSW. Check out her photos and videos!

Once the Coo Coo Birds arrived in Austin, they headed out every night on the bus and played in the streets where listeners and party-ers went wild. Ryan Zweng, drummer and singer, talks to us:

A: As a musician, where do you pull your inspiration from?Ryan: The risky, lavish life experiences we each three seek out in our own unique ways. Music that was made before 1994. Our present poverty, and increasing delusions of grandeur.

A: What was your favorite city on this trip?Ryan: Little Rock, Arkansas- hands down. Chris King- our promoter down there- is a saint, a fan, and also one of the most powerful club owners in town. We played his club Stickyz twice, and lived like kings the whole time.

A: Tell us a road story.Ryan: There are too many to tell. But in general we were all surprised to find our expedition traveling under the freshly coined term: “Psychedelic Immunity.” Ergo, in cities across the nation- where we expected to be crucified as “dirty hippies” or the like- we were continually surprised to find people upholding us as some sort of Psychedelic, Rock n Roll Heroes.

The key term here is : “ROCK N ROLL”… not “indie rock” or “folk band”; we would have been hung for being that. But not Rock n Roll baby! Its so obvious now, to me and the crew, how badly this nation is crying for a real band, who really don’t give a sh*t about how things are “supposed” to get done; how music is “supposed” to sound in 2013.

Down in the south of Texas, we had just finished polishing off the rest of our “contraband” a few minutes before hitting the massive Drug and Immigration check point just north of the Mexican Border. The dogs could smell us from the back of the line; barking like fiends on our left and right. Our drivers were smart, they knew the magic words by then. I heard him say “rock n roll” at least 4 times in a 30 second barrage of sentences, in various forms; “rock n roll band” on a “rock n roll tour” playing “rock n roll music”…. etc. The officer didn’t even budge; didn’t even acknowledge the shepherds screaming to him at his heels, or fellow officers foaming at their mouths for a proper search.

“Rock n Roll?” he said. “Whats the name of y’alls band? Imma look y’all up!”… and if he was anything like the rest of the people we met out there, he probably did. They are probably blasting the Coo Coo Birds first LP at every check point in south Texas by now.

A: What do you love about SXSW as a musician and a listener?Ryan: For a musician it’s heaven. Every nook and cranny blisters with excitement and vibe; and we basically slammed through the middle of it giving mobile bus concerts all over town, picking up anyone who wanted to go to another level. NY Times called us a highlight of Day 2.

A: Did you see any other good bands out there?Ryan: We hung out with the Mother Hips a lot- picked them up from the airport in the TweetBusso even. Those guys are like our mentors, big uncles to us or such. We hang with them, listen to what they have to tell us, listen to their sets, and inevitably grow as musicians, performers and personalities in our own right. We are all looking forward to making the scene at their Hipnic Festival this summer; going to be a riot.

A: What can you not live without on the road?Ryan: Sox! Clean sox! Just like in “Forest Gump.” Everything

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/coo-coo-birds/feed/2My Milk Toofhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/see/my-milk-toof/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/my-milk-toof/#commentsMon, 08 Apr 2013 07:02:24 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=5095My Milk Toof started as a blog in 2009 by Inhae Renee Lee and has gained a massive following over the years. And why not? It may be one of the most adorable displays of art I’ve seen. Inhae created ickle and Lardee, her two little toof characters, to kill the dullness she was experiencing […]

My Milk Toof started as a blog in 2009 by Inhae Renee Lee and has gained a massive following over the years. And why not? It may be one of the most adorable displays of art I’ve seen. Inhae created ickle and Lardee, her two little toof characters, to kill the dullness she was experiencing in her job. As a result, we have a beautiful book, a longstanding blog, and a following that is something to be proud of. Enjoy!

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/my-milk-toof/feed/6Yelena Bryksenkovahttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/yelena-bryksenkova/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/yelena-bryksenkova/#commentsWed, 27 Mar 2013 07:02:14 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=4908I stumbled across Yelena’s work the other day while perusing the internet for some images. Her illustrations immediately caught my eye, as I appreciate art that does not hide the sorrowful moments of life. Yelena appreciates this as well, but her art is also, paradoxically, bright, colorful, and of course extremely beautiful. Take a look. […]

I stumbled across Yelena’s work the other day while perusing the internet for some images. Her illustrations immediately caught my eye, as I appreciate art that does not hide the sorrowful moments of life. Yelena appreciates this as well, but her art is also, paradoxically, bright, colorful, and of course extremely beautiful. Take a look.

Ashley Arabian: Do you need to have a space to create, something to call your own?Yelena Bryksenkova: Yes, very much so. I’m a nester and I like to have all of my comforting things around me when I work. My favorite books are here to protect me; small objects that I have collected and other artists’ artwork on the walls keep me feeling positive.

AA: What subjects or themes do you tend to tap into?Yelena: I often return to the theme of home and the comfort of objects. Personal space is so important to me, and I like to place the people I draw in warm surroundings filled with cherished objects. Solitude, loneliness, melancholy are important aspects of it, too, but not in a frightening or cold way. Italo Calvino said, “melancholy is sadness that has taken on lightness.” It’s a feeling that I’ve embraced; for me, it’s the most inspiring. I also like to tap into somewhat magical themes, fairy tales, a little darkness and mystery now and then.

AA: What mediums do you use to create? Is there anything you can’t do without?Yelena: I use .005 Micron pens, watercolors, and Acryla gouache. My watercolors are “Leningrad” brand cakes, and they are what I absolutely cannot do without.

AA: Have you ever struggled to be an artist? What does this struggle add/take away from your work?Yelena: The struggle that immediately comes to mind is my tendency to prolong the healing of old wounds because they still have so much emotional value that can be channeled into new work. It’s a battle between wanting to let go of the past and being afraid of losing such a valuable source of inspiration. It certainly adds a personal meaningfulness to what I do, secretly sealing certain thoughts and experiences in each piece, but dwelling – which I need as a fine artist – can sometimes make it difficult to switch to a more pragmatic mindset, which I need as an illustrator.

AA: When do you feel a piece of yours is done?Yelena: This is mostly intuitive, but I would say when the composition feels balanced and I’ve put a pattern on everything that seemed like it could use a pattern.

AA: Do you ever struggle to put an idea of yours into your work or does it come naturally?Yelena: On rare occasions, I get an idea and I sit down and churn it out in a few hours, hiccup-free and just as I’d imagined it. But in most cases, there’s a lot of sketching, a lot of giving up and saying “I’ll think about it tomorrow,” a lot of tossing duds in the wastepaper basket. It comes naturally, but I still have to struggle with it a lot of the time. And I also judge my own work more harshly than anybody else, so I often create that struggle myself.

AA: Does music have an influence on your work? What have you been listening to lately?Yelena: It does. Lately I’m listening to Albin de la Simone – calming, spring day sort of music. I’m trying to rush spring by listening to music that puts a skip in my step, even in 30 degree weather. I like being filled with that vague, light sort of happiness – that’s inspiring too! Then there are my usual favorites, like Camera Obscura, Au Revoir Simone, Beach House.

AA: Your apartment is on fire and you can only grab three things:Yelena: My passports, my iMac and a painting that my best friend made for me.

AA: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?Yelena: Prague

AA: What’s your favorite year of your life and why?Yelena: In 2009, when I was twenty, I moved to Prague for half a year to study illustration at the Academy of Applied and Decorative Arts; it turned into one of the best and most magical adventures of my life so far. Coming back was just as important too, to all of my friends, to the familiar, to feeling at home once again.

AA: Any quotes to live by?Yelena: One of my favorites, from Emerson: “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/yelena-bryksenkova/feed/3Noah Gundersenhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/noah-gundersen/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/noah-gundersen/#commentsMon, 25 Mar 2013 07:02:23 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=4880A few weeks ago, a friend took me out in San Francisco to see some live music in a small venue near the Castro. I’d never heard of any of the bands, but he knew I would enjoy the music because of the soulful, Southern gospel influences he said they had. I was intrigued. When […]

A few weeks ago, a friend took me out in San Francisco to see some live music in a small venue near the Castro. I’d never heard of any of the bands, but he knew I would enjoy the music because of the soulful, Southern gospel influences he said they had. I was intrigued.

When Noah Gundersen came out with his brother on drums, his sister on the violin, and friend on the cello, an electric current crawled across the room and into its listeners. We were all taken in to his beautiful music, enrapturing vibrations, and poetic lyrical bliss. Here is a quick interview with Noah:

Ashley Arabian: Where did you and your siblings grow up?Noah Gundersen: We grew up in Centralia, Washington, a small town on the I-5 corridor nestled between Seattle and Portland, best known for it’s outlet malls and meth.

AA: Can you describe the kind of upbringing you had? Did it influence/contribute to your musical career?Noah: We grew up in a Christian home, raised by musical parents who also believed in asking good questions and challenging the status quo. They encouraged us from a young age to explore music and fully supported us when we chose to make it a lifelong career. We’ve always been close and that’s been evident in our music.

AA: When did you decide you wanted to live the life of a dedicated musician? Was it ever really a decision?Noah: I went to a free Christian concert when I was very young, my first concert, and seeing thousands of people be completely captivated by several people on a stage left a strong impression on me. I felt spiritual energy radiating around that room. Not just the religious kind, but something greater, something that moved me. Something that still moves me when I let go of my tight grip on the physical world. I’ve always wanted to make music. That’s the only thing that’s ever made sense.

AA: How is it touring with your siblings?Noah: Wonderful. We vibe so well together. It makes playing with anyone else a challenge.

AA: What is your favorite/least favorite thing about being on the road?Noah: Favorites: Movement. Meeting people who tell me that my art has had an effect on their lives. Seeing friends in other cities. Good food. Playing music.

Least favorites: Being away from my girlfriend. Being stuck in a van for long hours. Shitty food. Climate changes.

AA: What are some common themes in your songwriting?Noah: People, religion, love, fear, time, doubt, growth, and other vague things.

AA: What are other visuals, places, musicians, things that inspire you?Noah: Mostly the work of Thomas Kinkade

AA: What’s the ultimate goal in your art?Noah: To find fulfillment and peace.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/noah-gundersen/feed/2#CityGuideYMC: New Orleanshttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/city-guide-new-orleans/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/city-guide-new-orleans/#commentsThu, 17 Jan 2013 08:02:17 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=3814New Orleans, my goodness, I’ve never felt the soul of a city so grand. As I strolled through the French Quarter, I felt my world turn upside down. What am I doing not living here? How have I waited so long to come here? This is what the writers and artists were talking about, why […]

New Orleans, my goodness, I’ve never felt the soul of a city so grand. As I strolled through the French Quarter, I felt my world turn upside down. What am I doing not living here? How have I waited so long to come here? This is what the writers and artists were talking about, why didn’t I listen?

But the answers are simple. We are drawn into certain places when we are ready for them. New Orleans isn’t going anywhere. It’s me that wanders, and this last month I wandered here.

The people of this city are naturally in touch with humanity. I found myself embracing this, as I rambled on and on to the strangers I passed on the street and next to my table at the café. Street music is abundant, and I have a strong appreciation for this, as it is a tough but fill-your-soul-up life. They played the banjo, the washboard, the tambourine, and suitcases as drums. I drank the chicory and ate some gator, I danced on Frenchman Street, I touched the home of William Faulkner, I gawked at the voodoo suppliers: “Light the yellow candle on Tuesday and the blue one of Thursday and repeat the psalms every night. Then the demon should be cleared in a week or so.” And the whole time I felt the urge that inspiration invokes to pick up my pen and use it until the ink ran dry.
All my efforts to describe this city have only failed my need to convey the passion in the air, so instead I give you something else. My gratitude for the inspiration I’ve received is ambitious, which you can see in my photos and a piece the city gave me. Please, enjoy, and do visit one day.

What Have You Done to Me?

Remedy my insides with your hot air.
Make me want your sugar, you sweet thing.
Show me your shameless limbs that wind in and out of grime and beauty.
I ache in the deepest parts of me for your tangs and visions.
What have you done to me?

I can feel my thirst now, how had I missed it?
My tongue is dry, my skin parched,
And you are the hot wetness I need.
I’m afraid to leave, when the ignorance of my thirst will return.
What have you done to me?

I’ll dance tonight and breathe the hot air.
I’ll stroll tomorrow and drink the chicory.
I’ll paint your image with my pen for the rest of my days.
I won’t stop, even after I leave, for I cannot drain the blood of your walls in me.
Oh dear city, what have you done to me?

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/city-guide-new-orleans/feed/8Henry Lipkis’s Visual Abstractions [YM&C Exclusive]http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/henry-lipkiss-visual-abstractions-ymc-exclusive/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/henry-lipkiss-visual-abstractions-ymc-exclusive/#commentsTue, 15 Jan 2013 08:05:15 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=3773Henry Lipkis brings communities together through his bright murals, which he refers to as a visual abstraction that might help people dive into their subconscious minds. Originally from funky Venice Beach, he now lives in San Francisco in a two building collective, the Convent and the Center, where the live wire of art and music […]

Henry Lipkis brings communities together through his bright murals, which he refers to as a visual abstraction that might help people dive into their subconscious minds. Originally from funky Venice Beach, he now lives in San Francisco in a two building collective, the Convent and the Center, where the live wire of art and music rips hard through the walls, and is “nothing short of a force of nature” with the 50 other tenants.

I asked Henry what inspires him and he responded with a list of muralists that are well worth your time: Aryz, Os Gemeos, ROA, and Blu. But Henry could not emphasize enough the greatest influence on his art, Burning Man:

“The pure scale and limitlessness of creations there blew the cap off of what I believed was possible. I went for the first time when I was 17, bringing a fat duffle bag full of spraypaint, in case something came up. And in true Burning Man fashion, it did! Someone came into our camp one day asking if anyone wanted to paint their spinning geodesic dome art car, so I jumped up, grabbed my paint and commenced creating some big goopy character on the side of their mutant vehicle. While painting, the man running my camp, Steve Hopkins, saw me and asked if I would paint a bus for him back in Los Angeles. A couple months later he had acquired an old prison bus that over the course of a few months transformed into Alice the Wonder Bus. Over the last 3 years I’ve painted 6 more buses and its given me really great exposure, having moving murals that attend festivals and roam the streets in different cities around California.”

I found his description of the event honest and penetrable, as not everybody knows the art that lives inside them until someone or something evokes it. I’ve needed several forms to evoke the voice in me, whether it is song, travel, other authors, and life-changing events.

Henry’s mural process is interactive with the community around him, which can be greatly appreciated. After some basic sketches of a decided theme, he plays with “visceral energetic lines that are often words…to become a web of abstraction.” He then talks to people who have taken an interest in the painting and asks what they see. He curates these images from the community, keeping in touch with his own ideas and the theme, and builds the mural with his paintbrushes. He relates this process to the pleasant act of looking up into the clouds and creating tangible images from their shapes. “In the end, there is a massive image created in collaboration with the subconscious minds of the community.”

If you want to see more of the inner workings of Henry’s mind and art, click below:

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/henry-lipkiss-visual-abstractions-ymc-exclusive/feed/1René Garcia, Jr. Chats With YM&C!http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/rene-garcia-jr-chats-with-ymc/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/rene-garcia-jr-chats-with-ymc/#commentsWed, 02 Jan 2013 11:15:55 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=3609I recently attended a party at Project One Gallery in San Francisco where René Garcia Jr.’s art is displayed. I found myself much more captured by his work than the party itself. His larger-than-life images, mostly made out of glitter, are immensely colorful and imaginative. Several of his works are retrospective images from the media: […]

I recently attended a party at Project One Gallery in San Francisco where René Garcia Jr.’s art is displayed. I found myself much more captured by his work than the party itself. His larger-than-life images, mostly made out of glitter, are immensely colorful and imaginative. Several of his works are retrospective images from the media: a Bond girl, a storm trooper, Marylin Monroe, Johnny Cash. But they are also nostalgic: family days at the beach, the park, a day at the races. His talents expand further from his popular glitter paintings, but to photography as well. See more of him here: www.renegarciajr.com. Or if you’re a San Francisco local, go see his new solo show, “Badass” at Project One in SF; runs through Feb 2nd.

AA: Describe the place you are from…RENÉ: I grew up in one of those typical Southern California housing tracts like the kind Steven Spielberg describes in “E.T.” and “Poltergeist.” Ours was the last development on the outskirts of town, past several miles of orange groves that no longer exist. Everyone in my neighborhood rode horses or dirt bikes, and you could leave suburbia by just crossing the street and riding into the desert. My dad raised birds until he died, and he built several walk in aviaries in our backyard that he populated with thousands of different birds. The local elementary school would take field trips to our house. There was the occasional tragedy there too, but I wont go into that.

AA: Inspirational sources?RENÉ: I find inspiration everywhere. A lot of my works are fantasies built around positive memories, so I love looking at people’s old photographs, especially of trips to the beach, camping, Christmas morning, etc. I’m a huge art nerd and am always looking to see what other people are up to. I love working with kids and always find them inspiring. I also love a good story. Pour me a drink and tell me your tale and I might just turn it into art.

AA: Best place to view art?RENÉ: To view my art? Anywhere you can see it in person. I have a solo show up right now at Project One in San Francisco.
Best place to view art in general? I’d have to say Miami during Basel week. Everything is there.

AA: Favorite gallery?RENÉ: I very much love Project One in San Francisco, and not just because they’ve always supported me and let me do whatever I want. They’re really building a special community there that I am grateful to be a part of.

AA: Who are your heroes?RENÉ: Jim Henson, Stanley Kubrick, and then its a tie between my wife and my mom because they work really hard to support whatever cockamamie plans I come up with. I love my kids’ teachers.

AA: Who are your villains?RENÉ: Religious extremists and ultra-conservatives.

AA: Favorite American icon?RENÉ: Evel Knievel

AA: Favorite cartoon character?RENÉ: Devlin. He’s a little known Evel Knievel knockoff daredevil character that Hanna Barbera produced in the early 70’s. If there’s one thing I like more than Even Knievel, its a bad knock off Evel Knievel.

AA: Most memorable place you have traveled to?RENÉ: I once spent 10 days in the Amazon by myself fishing Piranha and swimming with pink dolphins.

AA: Your best childhood memory?RENÉ: I always loved the 1am drive home after long day at Disneyland. My sisters and I would make a bed in the back of our station wagon out of blankets, coats and a million stuffed animals, and then I’d fall asleep looking for stars and watching passing lights while my little brain tried to process all the amazing things I’d seen and done that day.

AA: Do you derive any inspiration from your childhood in your pieces?RENÉ: Without a doubt, I’m a shameless nostalgic. I deliberately use craft materials like Elmer’s glue and glitter, because we all had some experience with them as children. I want people to know how I do things and hopefully think they can do it too. I often incorporate familiar themes and iconography from my generation as a way to date my work and connect with my people.

AA: Any words of wisdom?RENÉ: My kids’ school teaches them that an artist isn’t something you have to grow up to be, it’s something you already are. I wish someone had instilled that knowledge in me at an earlier age. I grew up and tried to be many other things, but always wanted to be an artist. When I eventually decided that I needed to be an artist, it took a long time for me to figure out what that meant. What I failed to realize was that I was an artist all along, I just needed to make some work. I could have flipped that switch a lot earlier.

AA: And last but not least, are your dreams made of glitter?RENÉ: My dreams are made of fireworks, wild animals and lazers, but those things are much harder to tie into my work.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/rene-garcia-jr-chats-with-ymc/feed/3Ashley Arabian’s Top 5 Songs of 2012http://youmeandcharlie.com/listen/ashley-arabians-top-5-songs-of-2012/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/listen/ashley-arabians-top-5-songs-of-2012/#commentsThu, 27 Dec 2012 08:01:34 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=3540Alright, here are my top five favorite songs that have come out this year. When I love a song, I’ll play it on repeat on my car stereo for about a month. These songs make me want to dance and sing along, VERY LOUDLY in my driver’s seat, even though that’s not my best quality. […]

Alright, here are my top five favorite songs that have come out this year. When I love a song, I’ll play it on repeat on my car stereo for about a month. These songs make me want to dance and sing along, VERY LOUDLY in my driver’s seat, even though that’s not my best quality. But hey, who cares? I’m rocking out, okay? Now you do it:

MIA – “Bad Girls”

Mark Ronson and The Business – “Somebody to Love Me”

Santigold – “The Keepers”

The Lumineers – “Submarines”

Yeasayer – “Henrietta”

[*Editor’s Note: Mark Ronson & The Business’ “Somebody To Love Me” is from 2010, however it was a favorite of Ashley’s this year. Our playlists, our rules ;]. Also, the track wasn’t available on Spotify, so the song in the playlist is a cover. To hear to original, click here.]

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/listen/ashley-arabians-top-5-songs-of-2012/feed/4This Past Year On YM&Chttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/this-past-year-on-ymc/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/this-past-year-on-ymc/#commentsThu, 13 Dec 2012 00:02:45 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=3307I’m grateful, more than anything, for being a part of You, Me and Charlie. To be a helping hand in raising the platform for artists has made me feel small, because I realize I am one of the many who want to create in this world, but above all important. It is important to make […]

I’m grateful, more than anything, for being a part of You, Me and Charlie. To be a helping hand in raising the platform for artists has made me feel small, because I realize I am one of the many who want to create in this world, but above all important. It is important to make art and to share your perception. This is also why I believe YM&C is important as well, just as it is important to create. Dianna has given us an open window to the art world, because sometimes you don’t know where to look, but Charlie says it’s everywhere. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings us as we continue to grow.

These are my thoughts, and here are my pictures from this year, that with the help of YM&C, has been incredibly receiving of the arts. Thank you.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/this-past-year-on-ymc/feed/5Ashley’s Favorite Thingshttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/ashleys-favorite-things/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/ashleys-favorite-things/#commentsMon, 26 Nov 2012 14:36:46 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2920I’ve always struggled at giving gifts, and that is mainly because I really want to give things that are personal, creative, or something they cannot go out and buy in a store themselves. The meaning of the holidays can get away from us, which is why I feel it’s important to give gifts that remind […]

I’ve always struggled at giving gifts, and that is mainly because I really want to give things that are personal, creative, or something they cannot go out and buy in a store themselves. The meaning of the holidays can get away from us, which is why I feel it’s important to give gifts that remind your loved ones how much you care about them. These are hard to think of, but when I was asked to give out some gift-giving advice, I thought hard and here is what I came up with. These are things that matter to me, they can be accessed by all five senses, and they will make you just as excited to watch them receive them as they will be to open them.

Records, old and new: I like to send friends records that make me think of them, of artists they like, and just for novelty purposes. Even if they don’t have a record player, they make great wall art.

Homemade goods: I am really into making pickles, jams, and preserves. I usually end up with shelves full of tomato jam, grape jelly, olive oil, and tomatillo salsa by the end of our harvest. They’re so fun to make and even better to give away- I definitely can’t eat it all.

Books:The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets by Kathleen Alcott is a beautiful read. I love giving people books that have made an impact on me, such as A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers or any Bukowski, especially if they’ve never gone to that realm before. I also love to give people cookbooks and art books, or anything that would look great on their coffee table.

CSA’s: I can’t think of a better gift than fresh and local produce delivered to their door weekly. Community Shared Agriculture is one of the best ways to eat right and sustainably. Go here for find one nearest you: www.localharvest.org

Art, poetry, stories, photos by you: I’ve written stories about my friends, for my friends, mostly based on the ridiculous incidents that can’t solely be expressed through conversation- they need to be written down. It is always rewarding on both ends. Whatever your medium us, giving someone one of your creations is by far one of the most meaningful ways to give. Some examples…

Adventures: This year I gave my dad a gift certificate to a day of sky diving for his birthday- he went nuts. You don’t have to get crazy, though. A gift certificate to a restaurant, a day of wine tasting, or a night in a hotel are all things I would love to receive myself.

Here at YM&C we’re getting very excited about the holidays and gift-giving. We will be sharing more of our “favorite things” throughout the week! Stay tuned!

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/ashleys-favorite-things/feed/12Cody Rockohttp://youmeandcharlie.com/see/cody-rocko/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/cody-rocko/#commentsMon, 19 Nov 2012 10:25:16 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2812Cody Rocko is someone I’d like to meet because I’ve been given only the mystery of her through her art. Her collages bring on thoughts of what is left of people after a horrible incident, a loss, a tragedy. She states, “I make collages mostly and they emerge as small violences committed in an effort […]

Cody Rocko is someone I’d like to meet because I’ve been given only the mystery of her through her art. Her collages bring on thoughts of what is left of people after a horrible incident, a loss, a tragedy. She states, “I make collages mostly and they emerge as small violences committed in an effort to navigate the fragility of bodies and humans. More recently, I’ve become more interested in text and the possibility of humor.” Her art reflects the space between the present moment and our recollection of that moment, yet in the form of something ghostlike.
Her photography enchants me. There is something frightening and disturbing about them, as if they all rest in the calm before the storm. They are desolate and the people in them are lonely and lost. They reflect the useless things we create purpose for: empty swimming pools, scattered nativity sets, dodgy motel rooms and taxidermy.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/cody-rocko/feed/3#CityGuideYMC: San Franciscohttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/cityguideymc-san-francisco/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/cityguideymc-san-francisco/#commentsTue, 13 Nov 2012 08:01:52 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2684San Francisco is what I like to call my home base. I always come back to it. As SF artist, Paul Madonna, said to me once, “I like to say San Francisco is not a jealous lover because you can leave for two years and it will welcome you back,” and I couldn’t have said […]

San Francisco is what I like to call my home base. I always come back to it. As SF artist, Paul Madonna, said to me once, “I like to say San Francisco is not a jealous lover because you can leave for two years and it will welcome you back,” and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

San Francisco is a very good home to artists and chefs. We celebrate art in several forms, whether it’s street art or The Academy of Sciences. Either way, it is a place where everyone can find something that appeals to them. This goes for food as well. There are always new restaurants popping up in all of our neighborhoods, but each one seems to achieve greatness above all the others, and this can be appreciated by its people who really love to eat. I also love going outside the city limits just a bit to crack oysters and pop into artisan food shops in the smaller coastal towns.

The most obvious, but important, thing about San Francisco is that it is an incredibly beautiful city. Our parks have staggering beauty, one of 1,017 acres. Our views of the bay and city lights make you never want to leave. They make you want to go out and meet the other people who love living here, embrace a liberal way of life, and appreciate how lucky they are to live in such a city. It’s been the home of Ansel Adams, Jerry Garcia, John Steinbeck and Robert Frost who have all pulled inspiration from these grounds.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/cityguideymc-san-francisco/feed/29Karen Cusolito – American Steel Studioshttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/karen-cusolito-american-steel-studios/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/karen-cusolito-american-steel-studios/#commentsThu, 01 Nov 2012 07:02:02 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2500When pulling up to American Steel Studios in Oakland, California, on the gloomy day I chose to interview Karen Cusolito, my mouth dropped. What I saw was a large, open space in front of two massive warehouses, holding space for several metal sculptures in human form up to 30 feet tall. This staggering view sparked […]

When pulling up to American Steel Studios in Oakland, California, on the gloomy day I chose to interview Karen Cusolito, my mouth dropped. What I saw was a large, open space in front of two massive warehouses, holding space for several metal sculptures in human form up to 30 feet tall. This staggering view sparked my excitement to walk inside and see the woman who created these structures.

I walked into the warehouse to hear power tools buzzing through the space, which was filled with art pieces of various forms: robots, western saloons, sculptures, and as I’ve been told, screenprinting, painting, photography, welding- you name it.

We walked into the office of American Steel to shake Karen’s hand, which was surprisingly tiny. Our interviewee was petite and beautiful, and rock hard as one would have to be to make these sculptures. Not only did she build those staggering structures outside, but she manages this six acre art space that hosts 150 artists to create as they please. Here is our interview…

Ashley: Can you tell me a little bit about the history of the space and your relationship with it?
KAREN CUSOLITO: Back in 2005, my partner and I were commissioned by Burning Man to build a sculpture, and the sculpture needed to be 30 feet tall. So I needed a space taller than that and the studio space we had at the time just wasn’t big enough for the project. I remembered visiting this building the year before and I remembered it had really high ceilings, it had bridge cranes (5, 7 and 10 tons), and it had a lot of the amenities a large-scale industrial artist would need. We came and borrowed space from one of the only two tenants in the building at the time. We used it for 8 weeks, we built the project, packed up, and left.

Then we got another commission, so we came back the next year (also for Burning Man), and built that piece in 9-12 weeks. Then in 2007, Burning Man gave us a grant to produce Crude Awakening, and I knew we were going to need a much bigger space for that. So we leased this entire space for ourselves.

A: Can you tell me about Crude Awakening?KAREN: Crude Awakening was produced in 2007, and the theme for Burning Man that year was Green Man. It was seven large-scale steel figures in different postures of worship representing religion from around the world, and they are paying homage to a 100 foot tall oil derrick. Each figure had fire effects and you could climb the oil derrick and get a beautiful sweeping vista of the playa, so it was a really nice way to engage with art: 100 feet in the air looking down at the 30 foot tall structures was a really unique perspective to have.

On the night of the performance, it started out with a sound of this wailing siren from World War II, which is like a whale cry but on a much bigger scale. There was also a fog machine that could fill a square mile with fog in just a minute or so. So suddenly everything was transformed and the space became more oddly defined by sound and fog and getting a little energized. Then there is a patriotic sound of a musical score and fireworks, and after about a minute, the musical track takes a militant twist and all the fireworks turn red. Suddenly this space now looks like a battlefield. It’s (I’m getting goosebumps) one of those moments where something was designed to make you feel not well, and you knew something was wrong.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/karen-cusolito-american-steel-studios/feed/2Slava’s Snowshowhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/slavas-snowshow/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/slavas-snowshow/#commentsMon, 22 Oct 2012 07:10:35 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2246It was Sunday, it was raining, and it was cold in Paris this particular October afternoon. My motivation to find an adventure for the night (you must have one every night in Paris!) had run dry. I needed a little help, and what better help can one have from a fellow Charlie? Our Lexy sent […]

It was Sunday, it was raining, and it was cold in Paris this particular October afternoon. My motivation to find an adventure for the night (you must have one every night in Paris!) had run dry. I needed a little help, and what better help can one have from a fellow Charlie?

Hello Parisian Lover!
There is a show in Paris right now that my Russian Clownfriend Vanya is in at the Casino de Paris. It is his family’s show and it is the best thing I have seen in my entire life!! I am dying for you to go see it!! Are you interested?

Am I interested?? I replied with ten different enthusiastic ways to say YES.

My travel buddy and I dressed warmly and hopped on the metro to our destination, warmed ourselves with at a café first, then headed for the backdoor (as Lexy said, “that’s what a clown would do!”). Her friend greeted us and took us through the backstage and into the venue where we found some open seats. Our seats happened to be surrounded by little children, which added to our magical experience. Watching their faces become bright with excitement as the clowns entered the stage made my heart warm.

I had never really seen a show with clowns in them before, but for some reason, I think this show truly captured the essence of a clown. Clowns, to me, have very strong but few emotions – mostly really happy or really sad. Their manner of movement and sound in not limited, though, as they fool our minds with their limitless boundaries: they shrink, they freeze, their voices range from the highest to lowest pitches, language is whatever sound they want to project to communicate with the audience. Slavas Snowshow clowns were worn, imperfect, and tattered. They lived in a world made up of a madman’s dream state. And this was interpretable by all the adults and all the children watching the show! In fact, they were in it too: we were rained on, snowed on, and draped in clouds, then bombarded with giant, weightless balls of color.

I went crazy with my camera. I wanted to capture what it was like without giving the show away. We were lucky to see the last show in Paris, as the following day, Vanya and his family of clowns took off to Milan. How lucky am I to have lovely Lexy send me to this show? See the experience for yourselves here in a little video I made and some shots I took. Put on your clown nose, Charlies, and enjoy!

Lexy Says: I’m so happy Ashley and Kathleen got to see Snowshow and am so in love with the heart and colors she captured in her writeup and the video of her day with the clowns! Slava Polunin, the creator of Snowshow, and his beautiful circus family lead a life where the curtain truly never closes. I had the unique experience of getting to live with these Russian clowns for a while in the outskirts of Paris and I learned what it meant to set the stage in your everyday life. They live in a fairytale and every inch of their handmade world is a living poem. Taking your dreams and turning them into your everyday realities is a way of life that these artists instill and inspire in those they meet. Seeing their show is a sure fire way to color your future with a confetti cannon of true living – the kind you’ve always imagined in your wildest dreams!

Try on a clown nose, dress up in your favorite costume and go see this magical work of wonder at the Royal Festival Hall, London 17 Dec 2012 – 7 Jan 2013

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/slavas-snowshow/feed/7Maison Europeenne de Photographiehttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/maison-europeenne-de-photographie/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/maison-europeenne-de-photographie/#commentsWed, 17 Oct 2012 10:19:22 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=2182I went to Maison Europeenne de Photographie yesterday and was so excited to discover, what I believe many have already, Claude Nori. I loved this museum for a couple reasons. First, I don’t do too well in museums that take four hours to get through. I’m antsy and I like to focus on a few […]

I loved this museum for a couple reasons. First, I don’t do too well in museums that take four hours to get through. I’m antsy and I like to focus on a few artists rather than packing hundreds into a crunched period of time. This museum had one floor for each of their artists, including Alice Springs with her shots of the young Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld- loved it! Second, it was incredibly affordable (4-7 Euro!). Third, there were only about four artists they focused on which gave me a real chance to understand their work.

Claude Nori’s images of tan women eating ice cream in Sicily and men driving their motorbikes through South America made me want to transport into them, and this was nearly doable with his videos projecting on the walls with themes of love, freedom, endless summers, and the beauty in exotic women. Nori was also the founder of Contrejour publishing house, which helped several photographers and put out what many publishing houses would not at the time, giving way to the art of photography in the 1970s.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/maison-europeenne-de-photographie/feed/4MEET: Stephen Beadleshttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-stephen-beadles/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-stephen-beadles/#commentsMon, 24 Sep 2012 10:27:19 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1590Stephen’s photographs grabbed me immediately. I was taken with the beauty in the light, the subjects, and the simple images which pull you into a special place. This place, I believe, is made up of strong imagination and mystery. He shared some of his work with us and shed some light on what goes on […]

Stephen’s photographs grabbed me immediately. I was taken with the beauty in the light, the subjects, and the simple images which pull you into a special place. This place, I believe, is made up of strong imagination and mystery. He shared some of his work with us and shed some light on what goes on in his head when creating. This is Stephen Beadles:

Ashley Arabian: What kind of settings do you commonly use when shooting?STEPHEN BEADLES: I find that I normally gravitate towards large open spaces and remote areas. Nature is my favorite place to shoot and I enjoy finding settings in nature that seem like quiet havens, untouched by humans. I’m also a complete sucker for any type of abandoned building or even just an empty room with a window.

A: What do you shoot on?STEPHEN: I always shoot on manual and I’ve noticed that I tend to use longer exposures just as much as shorter ones. I love the eerie glow that can be achieved by exposing shots for a few seconds at night.

A: Is there anyone you look up to?STEPHEN: When it comes to art, the list of people I admire and look up to is endless. Just in general, I truly look up to my family and friends, they’re always looking out for me and their unconditional love renders me speechless.

A: What subjects or themes do you tend to tap into? Why?STEPHEN: My subjects are usually whoever is available, which most often is one of my three beautiful sisters. My themes are completely erratic and inconsistent to some degree. I love the idea of using photography to give someone a glimpse of a narrative in progress and letting their imagination fill in the before and after. Most of the time people have completely different interpretations of my images than I had in mind. I normally tend to shy away from anything that sets my photographs in a specific time period, that way they can preserve certain timelessness. Often I’ll become slightly obsessed with a specific theme, such as fire or artificial lighting in nature. My themes stem from what I find is beautiful, such as fire for instance, I’ve always been quite a pyromaniac.

A: Is there a method to your madness?STEPHEN: No method here, just a lot of madness and not enough sleep.

A: Is there anything you can’t do without when shooting?STEPHEN: Besides my camera there’s not much I can’t live without, but its always great to have a good friend along for the ride. I love shooting with friends because they always see completely different things and open my eyes to new ideas and angles.

A: Have you ever struggled to be an artist? (Y) What does this struggle add/take away from your work?STEPHEN: I wouldn’t say I’ve struggled to be an artist but I have struggled with what I want to do with art and what role I want it to play in my life. I used to believe art could only ever be a hobby, but recently my mind has been shifting and I’ve been perusing my art as a career option as well.

A: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?STEPHEN: Currently I’m in Atlanta, Georgia, but if I could choose anywhere in the world Venice, Italy would top the list. I visited the city for the first time last year while backpacking through Europe and fell very much in love with it. I love cities where you can wonder around and get lost and discover little hole in the wall places to sit alone and think.

A: What are you currently reading?STEPHEN: I just recently began reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I am terrible at making the time to read, but when I find a book that grabs me I become a complete bookworm. My most recent obsession was the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, definitely one of my favorite books of all time.

A: If you could choose any superpower, what would you want to have?STEPHEN: I’ve always said that if any superpower could be mine I would choose the gift of flight! There is nothing like feeling a strong gust of wind and I imagine soaring through the air at superman speed would be the most thrilling thing in the world. Plus I can’t imagine the amount of gas money it would save me (goodbye ATL traffic).

A: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?STEPHEN: This was definitely the hardest question, but after much debate I’m going to go with a wolf. My reasoning solely being that I love wolves! I tried to think of something much more philosophical, but that’s as good as I could do. They’ve got that perfect mix of beauty and ferocity that I find fascinating.

A: Any quotes to live by?STEPHEN: 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-stephen-beadles/feed/30EXPLORE: Ashley Arabian & Claire Oring’s Cross Pollinationhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/explore-ashley-arabian-claire-orings-cross-pollination/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/explore-ashley-arabian-claire-orings-cross-pollination/#commentsMon, 17 Sep 2012 09:59:54 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1392Claire and I teamed up to make an exchange of creative energy. We wanted to display how different mediums have distinct powers of expression and feeling. I wrote the poem, When Crickets Lose Their Rhythm, and sent it Claire’s way to see what she came up with, and it was absolutely magical (images in gallery […]

Claire and I teamed up to make an exchange of creative energy. We wanted to display how different mediums have distinct powers of expression and feeling.

I wrote the poem, When Crickets Lose Their Rhythm, and sent it Claire’s way to see what she came up with, and it was absolutely magical (images in gallery above).

WHEN CRICKETS LOSE THEIR RYTHM When the crickets lose their rhythm The world is in disorder One cannot focus on what is wrong The mind blends through chambers of ration

All the ideas of symmetry scatter Nature’s concept of family dissembles And become frantic with organization All sense dissipates into the line

It’s only seconds when their unison eludes, though Soon they gather their tones together Recognition of nature’s plan takes place And comfort bellies into our minds again

Then, I gazed over Claire’s photos and became hypnotized by them. In my eyes, Claire’s photos are mystical, nostalgic, dangerous, and seductive. I couldn’t stop myself from letting the words flow after viewing them, so I wrote a short piece (below) based off of some of her photos.

Our exchange is a cross pollination between two different forms of expression and the display of the complexity of interpretation. We are so excited to share this with everyone. Enjoy, and let it be encouragement for all of you to create and be creative.

This is my interpretation of three of Claire’s photos through the art of storytelling:

Her mouth didn’t move, but I could hear her speak. She sang a song to me that had no tune, but smelled of apples in the Spring and tasted of nectarines in the Summer. She promised me effortless ecstasy forever, pleasure in my veins for eternity, and omitted death from my timeline.

I gave her my hand. Our fingers interlocked and the sun set at an alarming speed. The sand on the floor turned to lush grass, the arid breeze became vaporous, and pines sprouted from the earth. I tried to ask her where we were, but my thoughts were so loud I couldn’t hear my mouth.

Fear crept through my nerves. My hands trembled as I grabbed a branch for balance.

“Hush hush,” she whispered. I looked around for her, but could only feel her presence. I screamed. No sound. I pushed through the trees and into a clearing where she laid, her head down to the ground.

I approached her frail body, those rosy arms and toes poking out of her clothing, and the scent of beauty rushed through me. I touched her shoulder. She looked up to me, and my environment dissipated into the blackness. Her pretty face had turned into a devilish vision of wickedness, trickery, and treacherous seduction.

I jumped back in dread. What have I committed to? Who was this enchantress? She reached out to me, my arms reached back without my permission, and she placed a candle into my palm. It stood still, slowly burning toward the short lifeline on my palm. I knew then that this flame would soon be out and I would cease to exist from this world, and fade into the dark one that belongs to her.

I am her prisoner. I am her bewitched follower. I am one of many who have fallen for this exquisite being, the enchantress of black magic, the hourglass of death. I am hers.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/explore/explore-ashley-arabian-claire-orings-cross-pollination/feed/57SEE: Andreas Franke’s “The Vandenberg”http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/see-andreas-frankes-the-vandenberg/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/see-andreas-frankes-the-vandenberg/#commentsWed, 12 Sep 2012 07:01:03 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1338I heard about The Vandenberg by word of mouth, and that word traveled to me all the way from the bottom of the ocean. The Vandenberg Project was implemented by Austrian photographer, Andreas Franke, who was inspired by the ship beneath the sea. He took shots in his studio – scenes of our day-to-day life, […]

I heard about The Vandenberg by word of mouth, and that word traveled to me all the way from the bottom of the ocean. The Vandenberg Project was implemented by Austrian photographer, Andreas Franke, who was inspired by the ship beneath the sea. He took shots in his studio – scenes of our day-to-day life, yet overflowing with emotion in its simplicity. He then placed these scenes in the ship itself. This is also where the exhibit took place. How perfect.

Andreas Franke fascinates me for a couple reasons: he has an avidity for traveling and often blends the line between reality and fantasy, and he does this all with his camera. He is an extremely detail oriented man that carries a strong focus on perfecting the technicality of his craft.

Here, Franke describes his underwater sequence:

“With my photographs of sunken shipwrecks, I want to pull the spectators into unreal and strange worlds. Mystified scenes of the past play within a fictional space. Dreamworlds you can get lost in or that you can identify with. This creates a new and unexpected atmosphere. This work shows very much of myself, since I am always on the lookout for stunning themes to create new images never been seen before.”

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/see/see-andreas-frankes-the-vandenberg/feed/44MEET: Jena Ardellhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-jena-ardell/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-jena-ardell/#commentsMon, 10 Sep 2012 07:26:36 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1279Jena Ardell is a photographer, a regular contributor to LA Weekly’s blog, a time traveler, and a very smart woman. She captures the nostalgia resting in our bellies and the longing for those sweet moments in life that rest in our hearts. She’s a magician with that vintage Polaroid camera, I tell you (the polaroid […]

Jena Ardell is a photographer, a regular contributor to LA Weekly’s blog, a time traveler, and a very smart woman. She captures the nostalgia resting in our bellies and the longing for those sweet moments in life that rest in our hearts. She’s a magician with that vintage Polaroid camera, I tell you (the polaroid shots in this post are exclusive to YM&C). I was obviously taken with her art, but when she completed our interview, I read it over and over, shouting out “Yes!” Right?!” “I know!” Here’s why:

“I couldn’t imagine being anything else. It’s like being “just friends” with someone you’re madly in love with; I couldn’t be “just a hobby” with photography; so I married it. We’re in for the long haul.”

Ashley Arabian: First off, where are you from? Does this ever filter into your photos? And where do you live now?JENA ARDELL: I am from northern NJ. My family used to own horses. I had a pony, rabbit, cat, dog and hamster while I was growing up. There were cows in my front yard. I had the best childhood ever. I am definitely a small-town girl at heart. I have been living in Los Angeles for the past five years, but I return home every summer. I can’t stay away from the east coast; it’s where I go to recharge. I love L.A., but I need fresh air, warm summer nights and lightning bugs. Humidity and a change of seasons builds character.

I don’t think my background or upbringing visually defines my images. Some of my work carries a small-town feel, but I’m not associated with that theme. I tend to gravitate toward beachy scenes and relics of the 1950s-1970s instead.

A: Do you use older cameras or is the retro look an editing process? (If so, what cameras do you use?)JENA: My Polaroid work is unedited; and yes, I use vintage Polaroid cameras (primarily the Polaroid Spectra) with expired film. I take pride in not having an editing process with those images, especially the double exposure self portraits. I just scan and crop. As for my digital work, I will apply a warming filter from time to time or mess with the coloration in Photoshop, depending on the mood and subject. Editing is time consuming, so I’d rather not have to rely on it to produce good images.

A: Do you need to have a space to create?JENA: Since most of my shoots are location-based, I don’t need a specific space to create my photography. I’m constantly finding inspiration tucked away in miniscule moments of the seemingly mundane. I make lists and jot down ideas wherever I go. My desk is usually cluttered and while I’m editing digital photos, I like to have music blaring and the lights off. I also tend to stay up way too late. I should clean my desk now…

A: What subjects do you tend to go back to?JENA: My Polaroid work focuses on 1960s-1970s Americana and the quintessential summer beach vacation. My digital work also has a retro vibe, but focuses on small moments of happiness and self content. My self portraits tend to have a moodier, voyeuristic vibe. Self portraiture tends to be the most challenging to shoot, but is usually the most rewarding.

A: Have you ever struggled to be an artist? What was that struggle like?JENA: Of course!! There were times when I thought being a photographer was not a viable career path and that I would not be able to earn a living by pursuing photography. I still think those negative thoughts during particularly self-loathing days. Every artist thinks like that from time to time. You need to have that fear in you to realize that your dreams mean too much to abandon them. It makes you work that much harder to prove to yourself that you don’t have to settle on having a 9-5 job you hate just because it’s the more secure plan. I couldn’t imagine being anything else. It’s like being “just friends” with someone you’re madly in love with; I couldn’t be “just a hobby” with photography; so I married it. We’re in for the long haul.

A: Does music have an influence on your work? What have you been listening to lately?JENA: Music doesn’t influence my work per se, but music is definitely a huge part of my life. I contribute regularly to L.A. Weekly’s West Coast Sound blog (and when I’m lucky, the print version too). I primarily listen to 90s music: 311, Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, The Wallflowers, Nirvana, Fiona Apple, Dave Matthews Band. I love the music scene, but I’m not impressed with the indie band explosion that’s occuring right now. However, I am currently obsessed with ONE indie song: JJAMZ’s “Heartbeat” because it’s so catchy and sounds like it’s from the 80s. It’s their best song.

A: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?JENA: I’m sort of a wanderer. I still haven’t been able to commit myself to one place; and city life gets too hectic for me. If I couldn’t choose Los Angeles, I don’t know where I would want to live; certainly not New York City. Maybe I’d choose San Diego or Tampa.

A: My favorite question… Your apartment is on fire and you can only grab three things:JENA: My cat, my drawer FULL of Polaroids and a drawer FULL of old family photos.

A: What’s your favorite year of your life (age) and why?JENA: I guess 26 because 2011 was an awesome year for me. I was able to cross off quite a few life goals. I interviewed my favorite band (311) in their studio; Rolling Stone contacted me to publish a photo I shot of Dave Grohl/The Foo Fighters; I attended a lot of artsy functions and wrote about them for L.A. Weekly; I went on my first cruise; I collaborated with my favorite painter, Robert Townsend; I shot a lot of awesome photos. Overall, it was a good year… minus what was happening in the world/to the world via Japan’s ongoing nuclear crisis and personally struggling with anxiety issues and panic attacks. UGH.

A: If you were an animal, which would you be?JENA: A spoiled cat with access to a balcony.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-jena-ardell/feed/20MEET: Katie Turnerhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-katie-turner/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-katie-turner/#commentsTue, 04 Sep 2012 09:12:25 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1174Katie Turner’s art takes me back to when I was 13 and coming to the realization that I had to figure out what it meant to be a girl. Girls lie out and tan, right? I will too then! Oh wait, now I’ve got this really bad sunburn. Do I want to be a girly […]

Katie Turner’s art takes me back to when I was 13 and coming to the realization that I had to figure out what it meant to be a girl. Girls lie out and tan, right? I will too then! Oh wait, now I’ve got this really bad sunburn. Do I want to be a girly girl or a tough girl?

Other times I feel like I’m simply looking at a beautiful comic strip, or sketches made from a feminine cartoon’s memory.

Either way, her stuff rocks. Katie lives in Brooklyn NY with her boyfriend and her dog. Sounds blissful, doesn’t it? Here is what Katie has to tell us about herself:

Ashley Arabian: Do you need to have a space to create, something to call your own? KATIE TURNER: I don’t necessarily need a specific space to make things – I can draw pretty much anywhere – but it does help! I have a small studio in my apartment. I like my workspace to be colorful and well-lit. It also helps to have a window nearby so I can at least get a glimpse of the outside world while I work away so I don’t go crazy. I like to hang inspiration from different artists and other ephemera around so I always have something nice to look at. And fresh flowers too!

A: What subjects or themes do you tend to tap into?KATIE: I like to illustrate a wide range of themes, but there are some things I often come back to. I love to draw things about my experience as a woman. With so much media dictating to women what they should feel, look like, do, etc., I feel like I have a bit of power to represent myself/my experience exactly how I want to. I would love to work with clients in the future that could put a more positive message out there.

A: What mediums do you use to create? Is there anything you can’t do without?KATIE: I use a variety of different things to create illustrations, and often use completely different materials from one piece to the next. My favorite physical materials are soft lead mechanical pencil, colored pencil, and gouache. I also use Photoshop quite a bit. I love texture, so I have a library of textures and patterns that I’ve scanned into the computer to use on my digital pieces.

A: Have you ever struggled to be an artist? What does this struggle add/take away from your work?KATIE: It has definitely been a bit of a struggle to get to where I am now. To freelance full time is a constant hustle and a lot of work! Being able to do what I love as a full time job is something that I can really appreciate after working so hard to get to this point.

A: When do you feel a piece of yours is done?KATIE: Never! It’s really hard for me to stop working. I’m always tweaking some tiny last minute thing that no one but me will notice. I’m working on creating some simpler pieces to get over this!

A: Do you ever struggle to put an idea of yours into your work or does it come naturally?KATIE: Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s really hard. I find that if an idea is too hard to put down, it usually just doesn’t work in the long run. Most of my favorite pieces I’ve done are the ones that seemed to just flow easily from beginning to end.

A: Does music have an influence on your work? What have you been listening to lately?KATIE: I love music (who doesn’t?) and how it influences me varies from piece to piece. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of soul, Amy Winehouse, Beyonce (as always), and Robyn.

A: Your apartment is on fire and you can only grab three things:KATIE: Can they be people and animals? If so, my boyfriend, my dog, and my childhood teddy bear. If no, then my teddy bear, my necklace made with the stone from my mother’s engagement ring, and some old family photos. What can I say, I’m a sentimental person!

A: What’s your favorite thing about living in this city?KATIE: Besides living near all of my friends, and the sheer BIGness and yet SMALLness of the city at the same time… there is always something to do! A few weekends ago my boyfriend and I were searching for something to do, and we found out that Tommy Wiseau of The Room fame was going to be speaking at a midnight showing of the movie. Within a few hours, we had met him!

A: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?KATIE: So hard to choose! It would have to be somewhere warm, maybe near the water… California? Or maybe I’d just move a bit closer to my hometown (Tulsa, Oklahoma) and settle somewhere like Austin, TX. I’ve never been to either, but they sound so nice. I can’t decide!

A: What’s your favorite year of your life and why?KATIE: If I could time travel back to my childhood, I would, and for that I’m very lucky… But I think my favorite year of my life is the one I’m in now! It’s definitely been hard, but worth it and I can already tell this coming year will be even better.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-katie-turner/feed/12MEET: Paul Madonnahttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-paul-madonna/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-paul-madonna/#commentsMon, 03 Sep 2012 07:01:24 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1015Meet Paul Madonna: Writer and artist. Dianna and I discovered his art in a San Francisco restaurant, which he created a mural and several drawings for. He’s run his strip, All Over Coffee, in the San Francisco Chronicle since 2003, which display his thought-provoking images and text, and creates his comic strip, Small Potatoes, in […]

Meet Paul Madonna: Writer and artist. Dianna and I discovered his art in a San Francisco restaurant, which he created a mural and several drawings for. He’s run his strip, All Over Coffee, in the San Francisco Chronicle since 2003, which display his thought-provoking images and text, and creates his comic strip, Small Potatoes, in The Rumpus. We love Paul’s art so much, we felt it absolutely necessary to share it with YM&C.

Paul welcomed me into his studio in the Mission District of San Francisco for this interview. His tidy space had ideas, notes, and thoughts neatly tacked to the wall, along with prints and books he had collected over the years. I let my eyes sneakily wander around the room as we spoke to observe these things, only to come to the conclusion that this is a very bright and very driven artist with some stimulating things to say.

Ashley Arabian: Do you need to have a specific space to create? How does this space assist your process?PAUL MADONNA: The deal with the studio is that it’s a workspace- a place of more control than creativity, I think, and creativity happens outside the studio. For me, I get inspired by the world. I get the stories from interacting with people. I have an imagination. But I think if we rely wholly on our imagination we can be limited, because our imagination is essentially fueled by every experience we’ve ever had. So the more experiences we have the more our imagination can flourish. So I get out of the studio and draw from life.

When I am here, I’m finishing work, I’m putting things together, I’m doing the business part of what I do. Being an artist, there is the idea of a creative lifestyle, but there is also a real practicality of getting up and going to work everyday, scheduling and organizing. And this studio is my place of organization. So when I draw, I leave here and I walk around the city or I go traveling.

A: Is there a method to your madness?PAUL: There is definitely a method, but it’s a very organic method and it’s determined by whatever I’m working on at the moment.

A: What subjects or themes do you tend to tap into?PAUL: If we are talking visual matter, it’s the urban environment. If we are talking written subject matter, I’m interested in the moments in stories when people figure something out. All Over Coffee is about anything that can happen while you are having a conversation with somebody in a coffee shop. That moment of being in a coffee shop is in between everything else: going to work, going to school, going home, or reading a book for yourself or meeting a friend. It’s those in between moments. Such as, you know if someone asks you what you did today, you say, “I got up, I went to work, I met a friend, and I went to bed.” Well what happened between those? Lots of little things happen between those events we list off. That’s the stuff I’m interested in in terms of storytelling.

A: Your apartment is on fire and you can only grab three things:PAUL: Working on the assumption that my wife is okay, I would grab my computer and my external drives because they have everything that I’ve ever made. I don’t need to own my art; I sell my original works. It should be out there. If it’s in here it’s not doing its job. Everything else is replaceable.

A: What’s your favorite thing about living in this city?PAUL: People come here to find something out about them, and I like that energy.

A: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?PAUL: That changes every month. There are a lot of places Id love to live for a period of time, but I like San Francisco to be my home. I’ve lived here 18 years. I like to say San Francisco is not a jealous lover because you can leave for two years and it will welcome you back. I like Japan, and Rome, and Paris, and I want to be in these places because I want to get up everyday and be in that environment and draw and write and be influenced by it, but then I want to come back to the place that is my home.

PAUL: Here’s an instance where I’m putting words on the side of a building and infusing words into the image, but it’s a statement. It’s also a very strange statement. It’s authoritarian, also kind of creepy, but when you read that you have to ask yourself, what is it?

A: It’s self-reflective.PAUL: And suddenly it sparks something in you. So it’s not about what I’ve written as much as what now happens inside your brain. These things are out there in the world when we are ready to hear them. Have you ever had that experience when someone asks you if you’ve ever heard of some movie or author, and you haven’t, but the next day you realize you’re seeing it everywhere? And the question is, was it everywhere the day before your friend told you about it? Yes it was. But we have to cut out so much information that is coming into us everyday, that we can’t be aware of everything. And until somebody sort of shoves it in your face, then you’re like, “Oh! Right, now I see it.” That’s what I’m doing here. The writing is on the wall. You just have to look for it.

I draw and I write. I’m not happy doing only one of those. What’s important to me is how those two interact.

]]>http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-paul-madonna/feed/13MEET: Abbey Goldenhttp://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-abbey-golden/
http://youmeandcharlie.com/meet/meet-abbey-golden/#commentsTue, 28 Aug 2012 07:01:47 +0000http://youmeandcharlie.com/?p=1017What I see in Abbey’s art is a youthful yet retrospective approach of the things we forget, but linger in our memories – the things we get reminded of after waking from a dream, or in an odd moment of déjà vu. I met Abbey in college when I had no idea she was an […]

What I see in Abbey’s art is a youthful yet retrospective approach of the things we forget, but linger in our memories – the things we get reminded of after waking from a dream, or in an odd moment of déjà vu.

I met Abbey in college when I had no idea she was an artist. I remember being in her terra cotta Tucson home, sitting on her couch, and grabbing the item nearest to me: one of her sketchbooks.

“Wow, who drew this?” I asked.

“Oh, those are just doodles,” she said. And they were her doodles, but I couldn’t believe what was in my hands. Her talent was blatant.

From then on I have paid attention to Abbey’s career. She left school to study art in Italy for a year, and came back with a fire inside that shone more so than any year before. After graduating, she left for New York City to pursue her art career, which is an impressive leap on its own.

Here is Abbey now for you guys, right here on You, Me and Charlie.

Ashley: You’re a NYC resident. What’s your favorite thing about living in this city?ABBEY GOLDEN: The diversity. Race, religion, sexual orientation, financial status, you name it. It takes a lot to live here, so everyone is unified in their desire and effort to be here.

A: Your apartment is on fire and you can only grab three things:ABBEY: My girlfriend, my cat named Mouse and my grandmother’s jewelry (all costume jewelry, but extremely sentimental). It would be heartbreaking to lose art that way, but it is just a thing and can be recreated if need be where the others would be gone forever.

A: Do you need to have a specific space to create? How does this space assist your process?ABBEY: I’ve recently been fortunate enough to afford a small art studio in the East Village. It’s super grimy in a basement beneath a stoop, but it’s mine and I love it! It has so much history in the walls, and it looks like Keith Haring just stepped out of it. It’s really been a major player in my productivity the past year. That being said, all the years leading up to it I worked in my apartment, and it was more about checking out of the real world and into my head space. No matter if I lose everything else I will always have the space in my head.

A: Is there a method to your madness?ABBEY: Madness being the operative word… every artist has to embrace the madness a bit, and live their lives their own way separate from the norm. Doing your own thing puts you in touch with what makes you unique as a person and an artist.

In terms of method – I actually find that my best work comes when I channel the emotions of when stuff is going down in my life, but have the clarity of time and space to reflect on it.

A: What subjects or themes do you tend to tap into?ABBEY: Coming of age, suburbia, opulence, sexuality and emotions, all with a healthy understanding of the artistic movements that came before me.

A: What mediums do you use to create? Is there anything you can’t do without?ABBEY: Anything and everything. One of my favorite things is finding new materials to use in my work. The staples are typical, but I’ve included glitter, paper, cigarettes, plastic, and metal studs. I don’t think I could live without black spray paint, though. I almost always have a can on me.

A: Have you ever struggled to be an artist? (Y) What does this struggle add/take away from your work?ABBEY: Ha, yes. I really hate to play the struggling artist card, but it is such a huge part of the process. Luckily I found that when I’m struggling the most to pay my rent or buy dinner I’m often the most fulfilled artistically. It adds a certain something to your work, an indefinable quality that you just do not see in highly established artists. Poor art is hungry – both metaphorically and literally.

A: When do you feel a piece of yours is done?ABBEY: A piece is done when it captures you. This can be after working on it for 2 hours or 2 years. You have to constantly step back from your work, because over-editing can kill your initial ideas and heart of your piece.

A: Do you ever struggle to put an idea of yours into your work or does it come naturally?ABBEY: Actually, no. For me, turning an idea into a reality is my talent. I was classically trained in painting and drawing, and have experimented with any material I can get my hands on. If you have the knowledge and experience with the materials the pieces just fall into place. Thinking of solid, fresh, unique ideas is the battle. Inspiration comes in waves, and hitting a dry spell can be really detrimental to my mental state! That’s why as of late I try to just stay cool and let the ideas come to me with life.

A: Does music have an influence on your work? What have you been listening to lately?ABBEY: Absolutely, always has. I end up listening to songs on repeat while I’m working on one thing to keep it consistent. I feel an artistic connection with Sleigh Bells, because of our messed up high school vibe. I love their newest album Reign of Terror. Other than them, Grimes, Gorillaz, Jack White and my good friends The Black Soft.

A: If you were to live in any city in the world, other than the one you are in now, which would it be?ABBEY: I recently went to Iceland and it was magical. It feels like you’re on the moon. I could definitely go and live in Reykjavik for inspiration and to get some work done.

A: Any quotes to live by? Last words out the door?ABBEY: “And to think it all started with a mouse!” – Walt Disney